Hanover pet-lovers take advantage of microchip clinic

It's a simple way to keep a furry member of the family safe, said animal rescue vice president

Michelle Rineman waits in the office of Clearview Animal Hospital with her lhasapoo Trixie during the open microchip clinic offered Sunday by Vega's New Leash on Life Pet Rescue. (EVENING SUN — LAUREN LINHARD)

Steph Stair, a tech with Clearview Animal Hospital, and Cindy Hunt, a veterinarian at the hospital, scan cockapoo puppy Chloe for an old microchip before inserting a new one. (EVENING SUN — LAUREN LINHARD)

It's not uncommon for a pet owner to find their dog years after the animal first went missing, said Stephanie Gilbert, president of a Gettysburg-based animal rescue. It seems impossible, but with microchip technology, it happens all the time, she said.

Though people have been microchipping their animals for at least a decade, it's become a much more popular and cost effective practice within the last five years, Gilbert said.

The process involves inserting a rice-sized microchip between a dog's shoulder blades through a hollow needle. The chip is then registered online with the owner's information.

It's basically the same thing a family would do when looking for a missing child, said Jeff Baum, vice president of Vega's New Leash on Life Pet Rescue, which he runs with Gilbert. The microchip provides a pet owner with a way to locate their dog if it gets lost – a process similar to putting out a police alert for a missing child, he said.

"Most people look at dogs as part of the family, so you should treat them that way," Baum said. "A microchip is a relatively low cost way to protect that member of the family."

Many of the dog owners who came to the open microchip at Clearview Animal Hospital in Hanover on June 8 felt the same.

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It doesn't matter if someone loses their dog at home or away on vacation, said Michelle Rineman as she held her lhasapoo Trixie on her lap, they can always be found if they have a microchip. The owner's contact information is accessible online by searching the chip's registration number, she said.

Every SPCA also checks animals for a chip when they come into the shelter or before they are adopted, said 9-year-old Fenton Stormes, of Hanover, who brought his grandmother's cockapoo, Chloe, in for a microchip. That way a shelter knows if the dog belongs to someone else before giving it away, he said.

Maryanne Biddison schedules a massage appointment at Clearview Animal Hospital for therapy dog Casi during an open clinic event on June 8. Casi got a microchip after she was rescued from a puppy mill, Biddison said. (EVENING SUN — LAUREN LINHARD)

"When we were looking for a dog to adopt, we went to the Adams County SPCA, and before we could even play with them, they scanned the puppies for a microchip," Fenton said while petting Chloe.

Within an hour of opening the clinic, already 20 dogs had received microchips and Gilbert still expected at least 50 more. At events like this a microchip costs $50 less than it would at the vet's, so people should take advantage, she said.

"I started Vega's New Leash on Life Pet Rescue because I realized that animals everywhere need help," Gilbert said. "Offering clinics like this is another way to serve that purpose."